Ball-caster.



No. 640,76l. I Patented Ian. 9, I900.

.1. H. GODDEN.

BALL EASTER. filed Feb. 18, 1899, Renewed Nov. 16, 189

i odel.)

UNITEDI STATES I PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN H. GODDEN, OF EMMETSBURG, IOYVA.

BALL-CASTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 640,761, dated January9, 1900. Application filed February 18, 1899. Renewed November 16, 1899.Serial No. 737,249. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN H. GODDEN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Emmetsburg, in the county of Palo Alto and State of Iowa,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Furniture-Castersand I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention is designed to simplify, cheapen, and lighten theconstruction of furniture-casters of the ball variety, to enable theparts to be quickly assembled, to reduce the number of parts to thesmallest amount possible, and to lessen the handling, which is an itementering into the cost of production.

The caster consists of a base-plate to be attached to the leg of atable, chair, or other article of furniture and formed with a bosschambered to receive the antifriction-balls and having its edges orsides indented or re cessed, a roller-ball seated against theantifriction-balls, and a casing for holding the roller-ball in placeslipped upon theaforesaid boss and retained in place by having portionspressed into the indentations of the boss, said indentations havingtheir walls inwardly sloping, grooved, or undercut, so as to interlockpositively with the inwardly pressed portions of the casing and preventdisplacement thereof.

The invention also consists of the novel details of construction andpeculiar combination of parts, which hereinafter will be more fullydescribed, illustrated, and finally claimed.

In the following description and in all the views of the drawingscorresponding and like parts are referred to and designated by the samereference-numerals.

Figure 1 is a vertical central section of the caster, showing it appliedto an article of furniture. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of thebase-plate inverted, the cooperating parts being removed. Fig. 3 is aside elevation, parts being broken away, showing the walls of theindentations straight and grooved to receive inwardly-bent portions ofthe casing. Fig. 4. is a detail view of the casing prior to assemblingthe parts of the caster. Fig. 5 is a view of the casing as it willappear when fitted to to the article of furniture 4. The edges or sidesof the boss are indented or recessed, as shown at 5, to afford clearancefor the fastenings when attaching or removing the caster from thearticle of furniture and to receive the pressed-in portions 6 of thecasing 7. The walls of the indentations may slope inwardly, as shown inFig. 1, or be straight and have grooves 8, as shown in Fig. 3. Thepurpose of having the walls inclined or grooved is to secure a positiveinterlocking between them and the casing.

The boss has pockets 9 in its face to receive the balls 10, againstwhich the rollerball 11 obtains a seat. The edges of the boss are smoothand straight, so as to admit of the casing 7 slipping thereon. Thecasing is open at its, ends and of a size to fit snugly upon the boss.The lower end of the casing is inturned to engage with the roller-balland hold it in place. After the balls 10 have been dropped into thepockets 9 and the roller-ball 11 has been seated thereon the casing 7 isslipped upon the boss and parts of its upper edge portion are pressedinward to conform to and interlock with the indentations 5, as shown at6. The upper edge portions of the casing are pressed inward by aswaging-tool of special construction or by any convenient ways and meansfor carrying into efiect the intent of the invention.

The caster when constructed for trunks, boxes, and the like has its body12, corresponding to the boss 2, devoid of a flange, so as to enter amortise or bore in the cleat or bottom of a trunk or box. The edges ofthe body are indented for the upper portion of the casing to be pressedinto, and the indentations slope inwardly or converge outwardly, so asto retain the casing 7 in place. A flange 13 extends outward from thelower portion of the casing and bears against the lower side of the partto which the caster is fitted, as

2 eidvei shown most clearly in Fig. 6, The perimeter of the outer flangeor support, whether it be the base 1 or the part 13, is continuous anduninterrupted, thereby avoiding spaces for the lodgment and accumulationof dust, lint, and foreign matter, which would be the case if the edgeof the flange or base were notched or intercepted. The indentations 5 ofthe body 2 or 12 are devoid of angular corners and being comparativelyWide, shallow, and "vertically disposed do not tend to collect foreignmatter and add so'niewhat to the appearance of the caster by giving it afluted outline.

From the foregoing it is obvious that minor changes in the construction,details, form, and proportions of the parts may be resorted to withoutdeparting from the nature of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is- 1. Acaster of the type specified comprising a base having a boss provided inits sides with indentations beginning at the lower end of the boss andranging upwardly and increasing'in width and depth as they approach theupper end, a roller-ball seated against antifriction devices applied tothe lower face of the boss, and a casing for holding the rollerball inplace slipped upon the boss and having portions below its top edge, incontradistinction to extensions or tongues projecting vertically fromsaid top edge, deflected inward into the indentations of the boss andinterlocking therewith and giving a fluted appearance to the caster,substantially as specified. r r

2. In a furniture-caster, the combination of a base having openings atintervals in its outer edge for the reception of fastenings and having apendent boss-formed in its edges with indentations in line with the saidopenings, a roller-ball seated against a'ntifriction devices applied tothe boss, and a casing slipped upon the boss and having portions pressedinto the indentations thereof to interlock therewith and provideclearancespaces for the fastenings by means of which the caster issecured to the part to which it is applied, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

7 JOHN H. GODDEN. [L. s] Witnesses:

H. C. SHADBOLT, A. O. TURNER.

